Mandy's Story (7 page)

Then she stiffened and a soft whine
left her throat. “It hurts.”

He looked into her eyes and moved
another lock of hair from her face. “I’m sorry, love, but nothing
will stop me from claiming you now. Take a breath.” His control was
breaking, but he waited until she breathed inward. “Now let it out
slowly.” She did, and at the same time, his hips surged forward and
his teeth sank into the soft flesh between her shoulder and neck.
Her scream echoed around the room. He drew blood and then licked
the red, tangy liquid away before kissing her, sharing the taste,
allowing the mate bond to consume them both.

Her slender legs wrapped around his
waist and with sure strokes he began the dance of mates, blending
their scents, joining their bodies and making them one. Her inner
muscles tightened around his erection and his balls clenched. With
one final thrust forward, his cry matched hers and they both went
over the edge into mated paradise.

***

He turned slightly and Mandy cuddled in
closer. Her heart felt at peace, her body replete. The bite on her
neck throbbed, but not unbearably so. She grinned into the fuzz on
his chest. Her stupid stubborn bear almost let her get away. She
would make him pay for years to come.

Her small, pert nose scented the air.
Mates, the mate scent rolled off them in waves, but one scent was
lacking and she felt a moment’s loss.

“
What is your devious mind
dreaming up now, love?” His warm, husky voice breathed across the
top of her hair.

She wanted absolute honesty from here
on out. “I’m not pregnant.”

Laughter rumbled beneath her chest and
she playfully slapped his arm. “It’s not funny. My sister and
brother-in-law will kill you if we don’t make a baby.”

“
You’re not at that time
in your cycle. I could smell if you were.”

“
Really?”

“
Yes, really. I promise
we’ll practice making a baby so when the time is right we’ll have
everything down perfectly.”

“
You’re teasing
me.”

His body continued to shake. “Yes and
no. We’ll be practicing until we get it perfect, but that could
take hundreds of years.”

She smiled and placed feathery kisses
on his chest. “Promise?”

“
Yes,” he said with a
groan, “but you’re too sore to continue at the moment.”

“
Hmm…I don’t think I am.”
She ran her tongue over his nipple and then bit down
gently.

Fingers tangled in her hair and pulled
her away, only to have his lips take hers. When he finally released
her, he moved to his back so she straddled his thighs. Holding her
hips above him, he slowly pulled her down. “Tell me if this
hurts.”

She gazed into his eyes. “It hurts so
good, don’t stop.”

His deep growl was her
answer.

Chapter Twelve

He sat at the table watching her dance
around the kitchen. She’d promised another meal fit for a king
because he didn’t eat any of the last one she cooked. Her twirling
body came his way several times and she kissed him, completely
uninhibited as she moved to an unheard melody inside her head. Her
hips wiggled and swayed, making the room much hotter than it
actually was.

They needed to talk, but he hated to
interrupt her performance, and his stomach growled with growing
hunger.

“
I heard that.” She
laughed from across the room.

“
I need to build my
strength.” He couldn’t stop the goofy grin he knew was plastered on
his face.

“
Yes, you do. We have a
baby to make.” She winked and he had to control the urge to pick
her up and take her back to bed.

“
So your devious plan
rests on us producing a child?”

She replied with a touch of
seriousness, “It’s all I can think of to keep you
alive.”

“
You have little faith in
my ability to protect myself,” he scoffed.

She walked over and kneeled between his
legs, looking up with worry. “I don’t believe you would seriously
hurt my sister or Brant, but they’ll be out for blood.” She gave
him a tentative smile. “I can’t lose you.”

He lifted her from the floor and
cuddled her on his lap. “I’m afraid to tell you that it’s not your
family that worries me, it’s The Kodiak, my alpha. He won’t care
that your relatives deserve a little of my blood for what I’ve
done. He’ll want it all.”

She moved so her petite nose rested
against his and her soft hands went to his cheeks. “Then let’s not
go back.” Her eyes begged him to agree.

“
I won’t run from this.”
Taking her hands, he placed light kisses to the backs of her
fingers.

“
Why should you be
punished for something I did?” Tears formed in her eyes.

He chuckled. “Mandy, from the moment I
opened my eyes and found myself in that cage, you were mine.
Claiming you was only a matter of getting out of that animal trap
and getting the job done. You didn’t have a chance.” His arms
tightened and he hugged her close.

“
But what if I wouldn’t
have kidnapped you?”

“
I already had plans to
steal you away after you turned twenty-one if your family didn’t
cooperate.”

His stomach growled again and she
smiled serenely. “I need to feed my hungry bear and I don’t want
dinner to burn.”

He released her and watched as she
continued her preparations.

“
I wish we had wine to go
with dinner,” she said after they began eating.

“
You won’t be drinking
wine for another year, so don’t get your hopes up.”

Her eyes snapped to his. “You’re not my
father.”

His fork was halfway to his mouth, but
he stopped and gave her a piercing stare. “Dmitri runs a nightclub
and has very strict rules about underage drinking. Getting past
your family and The Kodiak are one thing, but messing with Dmitri
is entirely another.”

“
Oh, pooh. I hate
rules.”

That made him laugh. God, she was
young, and he knew someone should knock out his teeth for robbing
the cradle; there were several people in line to do it. “We’re
leaving in the morning.”

“
And going
where?”

“
To my clan’s home in the
mountains of Colorado.”

“
Why?” She looked
stunned.

“
Because if we don’t,
they’ll come here. It will work out better if we go to The Kodiak.”
He took her hand and squeezed.

“
I won’t let him kill
you.”

He tried not to laugh, but couldn’t
help himself. When she gave him a hurt look, he leaned in and
placed a soft kiss on her lips. “There is nothing I doubt you could
do, my brave she-wolf.”

They cleaned the kitchen together and
then went to bed, though sleep wasn’t their primary concern.
Morning came and, though tired, they packed what they needed and
left the cabin. With each mile, Mandy’s nervous scent filled the
cab of the truck. She tried to make him change directions several
times. It took them fifteen hours to get to his clan’s property. He
drove to his small home, knowing every bear was aware he was back.
His two-bedroom cabin was slightly larger than the one they’d just
left. It smelled musty from his absence, but Mandy’s scent had
begun to waft through the air and he knew this cabin would be
completely hers in no time.

They’d eaten fast food two hours
earlier and both of them were too tired to do more than crawl
between the covers. He kissed her forehead and held her until she
fell into a deep sleep. His worry over the coming day kept him
awake for hours, but eventually he managed to drift off.

A loud pounding at the front door woke
them both. Faint rays of sunlight came through the
curtains.

“
Who’s here?” Mandy’s
voice shook.

A loud crash came from the living room.
Before Honey could jump from the bed, Mandy threw her body on top
of his, circling his neck in a death grip, and over her shoulder he
saw his father filling the doorway as only The Kodiak
could.

Honey tried to peel Mandy off his body,
but her arms wouldn’t budge and he didn’t want to hurt
her.

Deep black eyes took in everything.
“You have five minutes to meet me out front. Don’t bring the
she-wolf.” The Kodiak’s voice blasted through the room.

Mandy turned her head and met the dark
stare. “If you touch him, I’ll kill you.”

Bushy eyebrows lifted, but The Kodiak
left the room without another word.

She buried her face in Honey’s chest
and continued to hold on tight.

Honey couldn’t help his sigh. “Mandy,
let me go. Nothing will stop what’s about to happen. I don’t think
he’ll kill me… yet. Where’s the woman who kidnapped a bear and gave
him a bottle to piss in?”

“
Don’t make me laugh. I’m
not staying in here while you go outside. He’s not my
alpha.”

His hands closed on hers and, though
she fought for a few seconds, she finally quieted. Her frightened
eyes stared into his, but he refused to soften his tone. “You are
my mate and he is now your alpha. Dmitri is your liege. There will
be no argument about this. If you don’t act with honor, it shames
me. I think you’ve done that enough.”

Tears rolled down her cheeks. Leaning
in, she rested her head against his chest. He could do nothing but
bring her in closer and smooth her hair.

Her voice quivered, “I’m so
sorry.”

“
I don’t doubt that, but
all of our actions, good or bad, have consequences. This morning is
one of them. I need you to be strong so you can nurse my wounds
when this is over.” He let her go and rose from the bed. “You will
wait inside. Do you understand?”

The stubborn set to her jaw gave her
away.

Exasperated, he glared. “Mandy, I’ll
tie you to the bed if I need to.”

The corners of her mouth tilted up
slightly. “Could we save that for another time?”

Hot blood rushed to his groin and he
growled. “You will be the death of me, woman.”

“
I’ll watch from the front
window.”

Running his fingers through his hair,
he took a slow steadying breath. If he didn’t give in on this he
really would be tying her to the bed. “You win.” He turned away and
pulled sweats from his drawer, but didn’t bother with a shirt.
Mandy followed and gave him a quick kiss in front of their
destroyed door. Alphas were never known for patience, but Honey
deepened the kiss anyway.

Chapter Thirteen

Honey walked outside, looking his
father in the eyes the entire time. Other bears gathered in the
clearing surrounding his home, and he heard their faint murmurs.
From the corner of his eye, he saw his mother.

He stopped five feet from
The Kodiak. “My alpha.” It was difficult to keep his gaze up, but
he managed. He didn’t see his father move, just felt the blow to
the side of his head as his feet left the ground. He landed several
feet away.
This would be
bad
.

“
Stand up.” The Kodiak’s
anger rolled off him in powerful waves.

Honey slowly gained his feet, but then
went airborne again. Through his now foggy brain, he heard a scream
and then a wolf flew through the air and attacked his father. He
should have tied her to the damn bed.

Frenzied growls came from her throat as
her teeth tried to latch onto The Kodiak’s neck. Mandy was
seriously trying to kill her alpha. Honey tried not to laugh as his
father struggled to get her off and not hurt her. When the alpha
began growling with his efforts, Honey’s laughter broke through,
and once it started he couldn’t stop; he began rolling on the
ground like a lunatic. Who the hell would blame him?

His mother’s stern face came even with
his. “Has my son lost his sanity?”

Between chuckles, he managed to reply,
“Yes, mother. Your son has gone completely off the deep end.
Someone needs to help The Kodiak. I’m afraid my mate will hurt
him.”

His mother inhaled deeply. “She smells
good on you. Can you control her?”

“
Not at all.”

“
Then I’ll take care of
it.” Her voice remained calm. She was all that kept his father sane
at times.

A few moments later, water from a hose
drenched his mate’s snapping snout, barely held back by his father.
Honey tried to rein in his laughter, but seeing his father hit by
the water, too, was just too much. His mother moved in closer until
Mandy couldn’t see or breathe because of the heavy stream. The
Kodiak’s huge muscled arms released her and she fell to the
ground.

“
Change your form, girl.”
His mother’s voice held no room for argument, and she kept the hose
on Mandy’s face.

Mandy shifted and the hose’s nozzle
immediately moved away. “What the hell did you do that for? I
almost had his throat between my teeth.”

“
You were trying to kill
my husband, and if I killed you, my son would never forgive
me.”